FAYETTEVILLE — The Kansas State baseball team used a dominant offensive performance against Louisiana Tech to win its NCAA Tournament opening game.
The Wildcats, who entered the regional qualifying round as the No. 3 seed, defeated the Bulldogs 19-4, a victory fueled by five-run scoring sprees in the second and eighth innings.
Kansas State will face Arkansas, the regional host and the No. 5 seed in the nation, at 8 p.m. Saturday. Louisiana Tech will play Southeast Missouri State in a consolation match at 2 p.m.
The first pitch was delayed at 8:06 pm on Friday due to lightning within an eight-mile radius of the stadium. There was a second weather delay in the top of the sixth inning, and the game was suspended until 11:00 am on Saturday.
Kansas State entered Saturday with a 9-4 lead.
“Baseball is the only sport where the games go on for 15 hours and you have to have energy at the end of the game,” Wildcats coach Pete Hughes said. “I'm really proud of our guys. They're a tenacious team. … They were focused and full of energy from the first at-bat.”
The Razorbacks defeated the Redhawks 17-9 in Friday's season opener and will face the Wildcats for a spot in the regional championship.
The winners of the double-elimination regional tournaments will advance to the Super Regional, with the Fayetteville Regional winner facing the Charlottesville Regional winner, who will be hosted by 12th-seeded Virginia.
The Wildcats are scheduled to field Jackson Wentworth in their 8 p.m. game against Smith.
“I feel good right now. If I think too much about Hagen Smith right now, that feeling will go away in a flash,” Hughes said with a laugh.[Smith is] They're the best team in college baseball, the most dominant team in college baseball, and the numbers reflect that.”
Kansas State and Arkansas combined for 36 points despite entering the tournament ranked 62nd and 64th, respectively, among NCAA Tournament teams in hitting percentage.
Kansas State did its damage with small ball: The Wildcats entered the tournament ranked 10th in stolen bases in the country and added five more against the Bulldogs. They also hit five home runs, two of which came from No. 9 hitter Chuck Ingram.
Kansas State shortstop Kaylen Culpepper hit for the cycle, hitting a home run in his final at-bat, the first time he had done so as a collegiate player.
“That was awesome,” Hughes said. “There's no other kid in that program who deserves the success he had today and the success he's going to have. It was a fun moment to be a part of.”
